cover story: hank willis thomas jr.

Words: Marcus Brown, Literary Media & Communications Department, Duke Ellington School of the Arts; Class of 2013

Photos & artwork: Courtesy of the artist & Jack Shainman Gallery

I have an empty stomach, a full bladder, and a persistent desire to take a nap. It is after nine at night and instead of being home relaxing or doing homework, I’m at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in downtown D.C. with two of my teachers. As readers I know your first thought, and the answer is no, I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m seated in a movie theater chair, in a stark white rotunda seemingly supported by white, Roman columns that dwarf the huge projector screen. As I scan the rest of the audience I see two types of people. The first being young, hipsteresque college students who could not be anymore happier to tweet or text about what they are thinking this very moment from whatever Apple product they spent their trust fund money on. The second type of people are slightly less enthused and only take out their phones to check the time or send the occasional email that had earlier slipped their mind. These people are noticeably older than the first crowd and are here because of a mutual love for art and for talking about loving art. These two groups of people were evenly dispersed throughout the auditorium and as it got later into the night anticipation filled the room. The man of the hour and the reason for such an eclectic grouping of people was the photographer, visual artist and graphic designer, Hank Willis Thomas Jr. Seeing as how he was a former Duke Ellington student, like myself, I was there in hopes of getting an interview with the man behind the art. Thomas was speaking at the Corcoran Gallery of Art as part of a lecture series from the artists of the 30 Americans exhibit on display at the gallery. The exhibit is made up of pieces from the Rubell Family Collection and features 30 talented African-American artists ranging from Jean-Michel Basquiat to David Hammons. After a lengthy introduction by both the junior and senior curators, the entire room grew silent as Thomas took the stage and began talking. After a few minutes of awkward, funny banter something surprising happened. Right in the middle of a sentence, Mr. Thomas began to cry. Admittedly, I was caught off guard but that seemed to be the theme of the night because from then on it was a combination of emotion and inspiration. He went on to explain that he was crying because his family was in the audience along with his former teacher and a host of other mentors, such that he was overcome with gratitude and emotion. His mother, Deborah Willis, is also a respected artist in her own right and professor at the Tisch School in New York. Part of what inspired Thomas to be an artist was his mother along with a coterie of the artists that surrounded him at a young age. This experience showed him that he could succeed, “not just at making art but also curating and writing about art”, his mother said. This is probably why of all the places Thomas could have ended up for an education he ended up at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in the Museum Studies Department. Thomas is a Duke Ellington alumni and was taught by the current chair of the Museum Studies Department, Marta Stewart. He ended up at the school after a frenetic search for a place to continue his education culminated in a family friend suggesting his mother try out Duke Ellington, where she served on the board. It was at Duke Ellington where Thomas began to grow as an artist in an environment that was in sharp contrast to the predominately white, sport-oriented high school he had left behind. Here he was allowed a place to foster and hone his craft for the outside world in a place accepting of his own unique talents and abilities. It was here that Thomas says he “became a person in a way” and that his time at Duke Ellington was monumental for his development into an artist and member of society. 15

Not only was Thomas very open in discussing how “all of [his] wonderful life experiences” came from his time at Duke, he was also open with discussing the darker inspirations for his work. A notable influence on Thomas’ work was the death of his cousin Songha. Along with various photos of Songha, including one of his autopsy, Thomas made a stop motion film using miniature toy army men to depict Songha’s death during a robbery, as it was told to him by friends who were there. He went on to explain that the reason toys were in the film as opposed to actors was because he wanted take a shot at the cultural norm of practically putting guns in the hands of children. How troublesome the idea that in America children are so jaded to the dangers of guns and weapons because at a young age they are exposed to them as play things. Thomas pointed out the irony, that on most toys the warnings they hold for say, “ages 5 and up”, are there not because the violent nature of the toy but because there is the potential to choke on the small pieces. This in turn creates a society that almost justifies the hackneyed nature of weapons but is outraged and dumbfounded by acts of violence. Another one of Thomas’ more controversial pieces of work was a parody of the Master Card commercials, in which he used a photo taken at Songha’s funeral to again speak on the vicious cycle of violence that is an almost intrinsic part of society. The picture shows the varying prices of items at the funeral from a gold chain to a 9 millimeter pistol and ends by saying picking the perfect casket for your son is priceless. Again Thomas uses some of the darkest parts of his own life to speak on harrowing topics that most can relate to. As an artist this is an indispensable characteristic and one that inspired me most about his work.

Many of Thomas’ pieces are centered around race or class issues and how they are portrayed in the media, specifically in advertisements. He uses sardonic edits of common place advertisements to prove a point. By slightly altering images seen in the media on a daily basis the audience is caught off guard because instead of the usual propaganda they are accustomed to seeing, they are instead struck with a biting piece of social commentary. One of his most popular works is a picture of a black man with the Nike Swoosh branded into the side of his head. The picture speaks to the nature of corporate branding and slave branding and the similarities between the two. Another picture states a similar theme in a bit more obvious manner in which a basketball player is shown jumping and the basketball beside him forms a ball and chain with the chain being tied around his ankle. Institutions like the NBA and NFL can be seen as a modern day slave trade for African-Americans and the corporate conglomerates behind them like Nike as the new slave masters. The resurgence of slavery in more subtler forms is a reccurring motif in his work such as the one where the images of an Absolut Vodka bottle and a slave ship are merged into one.

From the top, counter-clockwise: Time Can Be A Villian Or Friend, 1984/2009 The Discover Card, 2004 The Afro-American Express, 2004 The Chase MasterCard, 2004

However not all of his work is as serious as these and some merely poke fun at the racist undertones of modern media. A fairly large portion of his work is just advertisements with the words taken away or juxtaposed with another in order to make some of the understated messages more clear. I found myself laughing at many of the pictures, but after I was done laughing I began to reflect on the pieces. I would laugh at how blatantly racist or ignorant some of the advertisements were but then I began to realize that it could not be further from comedy. Thomas’ cousin Youtha Hardman-Cromwell commented on Thomas’ exhibit, arguing that “we don’t see how the things we are being presented with and are participating in are hooked into our history.” I couldn’t agree more. We live in a day and age where we are constantly being bombarded with images that shape our society and cultural identity, and what does it say when you can strip and move these images around to reveal such shameful messages? As an artist, student and individual I found Hank Willis Thomas’ lecture inspirational and provocative. On the one hand I saw an African-American whose background almost perfectly mirrored mine, standing on stage talking about his life’s work to a crowd of people eager to listen. I saw an artist who has made something of himself, despite all the trials and tribulations that he might have faced on the way there, doing what he loves. I also saw a man who was trying to force the world’s eyes open and make the public see what is really out there, as every good artist should. I could not help but be inspired by this man who created art that spoke to people, because at the end of the day an artist cannot be judged by the popularity or the acclaim he receives but instead by the value and substance of his work. Hank Willis Thomas’ work speaks nothing but truth and I am glad I had the opportunity to see his work and meet the man behind the art. 18

“On Hank Willis Thomas Jr” Marta Stewart chair of Duke Ellington’s Museum Studies Department

“He was a good student. He had many of the characteristics that we look for in Museum Studies students. He was curious and creative. He had an open mind. He had a willingness to work at figuring out how to be successful at completing assignments even if he did not really know how he was going to accomplish that task.” “[I recall] students were challenged to create a living history biography if a person of their choice and he chose Prince. He memorized and delivered Prince’s life story in the first person in a convincing and compelling way.” Photo: Aurielle Catron